Riverine Fish

Ohio is blessed with an abundance of water, but like all developing areas, past and present land use practices affect our water resources.

Land uses that allow soil to runoff into our waterways cause silting of streams and increased turbidity, which can result in a lower quality of water and thus a loss in the diversity of aquatic organisms.

Fish have specific habitat requirements, thus the health of a fish community can tell us a great deal about the quality of the waterway where they reside.

Riverine Fish of Ohio's Scenic Rivers

Rainbow Darter (Etheostoma caeruleum)

rainbow darterThis species is found statewide in the smaller and medium sized streams. It prefers riffles of moderate gradients composed primarily of gravel and small cobble.

In many small streams it can be the dominant species of darter on these riffles.

This is one of the most colorful species of darters found in Ohio.

Breeding males are characterized by a combination of brilliant blues, reds, and oranges.

Rainbow darters feed on a variety of aquatic insect larvae.